Category: Social Justice & Outreach

By Br. Steve Herro, O. Praem.

Three recent Sundays reminded us of Jesus’ (and Christianity’s) special place for children.

On October 7, 2018, we were reminded that Jesus said to his disciples:

“Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them. (Mark 10:14b-18)

One week earlier, the Gospel reminded us:

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. (Mark 9:42)

And, on September 23, we heard:

Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” (Mark 9:36-37)

The valuing and protection of children is paramount; we have a long way to go. We continue to rile from the many news stories about the sexual abuse of children, children’s impairment on the U.S. border (“A Record 13,300 Migrant Children Are Being Detained by the Trump Administration”; “Trump’s new plan to detain immigrant families indefinitely, explained”), and religious leaders reminding us of the importance of maintaining adequate nutrition programs for children in the U.S. Farm Bill.

Amidst these various serious challenges facing our children, my friend Mary was posting to me about the need for her ministry, Love Life, to find a new distribution site on the east side of Green Bay. After about 10 years, Love Life—which provides free diapers, formula, and other infant products to needy families—was asked to find a new location. After several months of research and negotiations, Love Life Leaders were welcomed at Central Church, a short distance from its former home.

May God bless Love Life’s volunteers and supporters and Central Church for walking the talk for our children. It is heartwarming to realize that kids’ fortunes are being protected in one small way during an otherwise trying time for children’s rights.

DISCLAIMER: This blog represents Br. Herro’s own opinions and experiences. It does not represent an official position or opinion of St. Norbert Abbey or of any other Norbertine.

By Br. Steve Herro, O. Praem.

I became more and more angry every time I biked passed the outdoor sign in my hometown. What was this “great place to raise a family” coming to? The bold letters “LOCAL FAMILY PREFERENCE” really rattled my cage. Was the rental company inherently prejudiced against prospective customers a shade different from the city’s natives? I found the message terribly unwelcoming.

Part of the irony was that the house in which I grew up a few miles from the sign was now owned and occupied by immigrants from India! As soon as I returned to my computer, I knew that I would compose a response to an editor, my blog, or perhaps the community’s tourism board or chamber of commerce.

But as the week wore on, I thought, “Call the phone number listed.” I could produce my own investigative report by speaking to a representative of the rental company! And besides, doesn’t Scripture admonish us to work it out in dialogue with an adversary before taking our gift to the altar (Matthew 5:23-25)? So in a fast-paced communication era of “tweet before you think,” I convinced myself to leave my comfort zone, do my homework, and converse with another who I was sure was a polar opposite.

The person on the other end of the line was most gracious and informative. I explained that I was a native of the community but had left the area at the beginning of adulthood to launch my career. Did the sign really mean that I would not be given a fair shake if I sought to rent from the receptionist’s company? The woman explained that her company was required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to offer special preference to low-income natives for these subsidized housing choices in an attempt to address generational and local poverty. I mentioned that I was quite familiar with the Housing Choice Voucher program and thanked her for her explanation.

Moral of the story? Pick up the phone or knock on the door before going to battle with a perceived ideological foe. Furthermore, we often need “cooling-off” periods. During these days of polarization in our legislative capitals, homes, and churches, expend a small amount of extra time and energy to really get to know others and the necessary facts before flying off in judgement.

DISCLAIMER: This blog represents Br. Herro’s own opinions and experiences. It does not represent an official position or opinion of St. Norbert Abbey or of any other Norbertine.

By Br. Steve Herro, O. Praem.

A recent WBUR “On Point” segment (“Racism, Discrimination, And Calling The Police On Black People,” July 19, 2018) and Washington Post essay (“Police calls for #LivingWhileBlack have gotten out of hand. Here’s what we can do about it.” by Megan R. Underhill, July 20, 2018) nailed an issue that we would like to sweep under the rug … but, unfortunately, the instances have become all too commonplace. I found a few of the cited instances especially egregious, such as when a white adult called the police because a black grade school kid was enterprising enough to have a lawn cutting business and was cutting grass in the caller’s neighborhood, and the instance when campus security was notified because an African-American student was napping in a common area in a U.S. university. Really? Is not academia supposed to model inclusivity and open mindedness?

Some argue that such citizen overreaches are not more common, but that we are simply more aware because any encounter can be recorded and uploaded to the web in minutes. The point is not that the instances are more or less commonplace; the point is that one unwarranted call to the police is one call too many.

Bishop Edward Braxton (Belleville, Illinois) is one of the most profound Catholic writers on race and culture. Since 2015 he has written two relevant pastoral letters: “The Racial Divide in the United States: A Reflection for the World Day of Peace 2015” and “The Catholic Church and The Black Lives Matter Movement: The Racial Divide in the United States Revisited.” In one appearance, I heard him describe how he was pulled over by an officer when he was transporting used furniture in his car to a needy parishioner in Louisiana. I take it that he was not wearing his pectoral cross that afternoon?

I have never  called the police because there was a black or brown person in my backyard. But I do recall the fear that I felt as a minority white person in a Chicago area gas station asking for directions, especially when the recent immigrant from central Europe behind the counter referred my question on directions to a young adult African-American male behind me in line. Dreadlocks, baseball hat, baggy shorts—oh my! Was I going to be roughed up in an unknown neighborhood en route to a Catholic social action conference at a Catholic university?

The gentleman (I think that he even called me “bro”; how did he know? I was not even wearing my habit!) provided clear and perfect directions, and I got a free Sunday afternoon tour of Chicago’s southwest suburbs and neighborhood.

How can I respond to the “call the police” overreach? My abbey sits in the middle of a 160-acre soybean field and I work in the basement of the Chancery of the Diocese of Green Bay. But I do spend several hours a week in the heart of downtown Green Bay, working in an office within range of multiple agencies serving people of all races and volunteering in the front garden of the Central branch of the Brown County Library (and believe me, our downtown library does not suffer from lack of cultural diversity). I might be “inconvenienced” while weeding, watering, or harvesting by passersby who look, talk, and dress differently than me, but in today’s “I’ll call the police on you” environment, the simple gesture of looking up into the eyes of another and saying, “Hey, how are you?” and perhaps offering a cucumber or tomato can go a long way.

DISCLAIMER: This blog represents Br. Herro’s own opinions and experiences. It does not represent an official position or opinion of St. Norbert Abbey or of any other Norbertine.

By Br. Steve Herro, O. Praem.

Jesuit Fr. Matt Malone recently wrote that 65 percent of U.S. voters live in congressional districts in which either President Trump or Secretary Clinton won the district by at least 20 percent of the vote.

San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy cited a survey that said 40 percent of Americans today would be upset if their child married someone from the other political party—compared to only five percent feeling that way in 1960.

If you observe legislative voting patterns in your local community, state, or U.S. Congress, are lawmakers able to timely advance significant legislation to promote the common good?

For example, Wisconsin has not passed a biennial budget on time in the last four or five cycles; at the federal level, who does not know the meaning of the term “continuing budget resolution”—a temporary fix to prevent the federal government from shutting down because the president and Congress have not been able to agree to a budget in seven months of negotiating?

Are you as exhausted as I am about the political polarization in the U.S. today? Does Christianity provide hope—an answer—to this vexing problem?

According to David Michael (“Alan Jacobs: a Christian intellectual for the internet age,” America, April 28, 2018), Christian public intellectuals grazed the scene 50 years ago by interpreting, bridging cultural gaps, mediating, and reconciling. Can they return?

Perhaps Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought’s “Though Many, One: Overcoming Polarization Through Catholic Social Thought” (June 4-6, 2018) can help advance Christian thought on breaking polarization in our legislatures. As Initiative director John Carr explained:

This is an attempt in a more focused and strategic way to look at how this unnecessary and unhelpful polarization reduces our ability (as Catholics) to make a difference in a really divided country.

We’re not going to debate economic issues or this controversy or that controversy. We’re going to explore the causes, the costs and how to overcome polarization which undermines (the church’s) public witness.

The beauty of Catholic social teaching is it connects things that are not connected in politics-as-usual and we want to help make those connections.

We’re high on building relationships. It’s hard to prejudge people that you’ve met.

Besides academic conferences, polarization can be met head-on by placing museums, art centers, libraries, and other educational venues in the midst of a point of disharmony. How many hearts have been touched, how many minds have been enlightened, when people have visited the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee (the very site of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King in 1968), or the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham, Alabama, where Dr. King wrote, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”? The Church can promote the establishment and participation of such organizations through financial contributions and incorporating visits by Catholic parish and student groups.

Do you know who wrote:

It is the responsibility of the State to safeguard and promote the common good of society. Based on the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity, and fully committed to political dialogue and consensus building, it plays a fundamental role, one which cannot be delegated, in working for the integral development of all. This role, at present, calls for profound social humility.

If you guessed Pope Francis, congratulations! Number 240 of The Joy of the Gospel is followed by #241:

In her dialogue with the State and with society, the Church does not have solutions for every particular issue. Together with the various sectors of society, she supports those programmes which best respond to the dignity of each person and the common good. In doing this, she proposes in a clear way the fundamental values of human life and convictions which can then find expression in political activity.

Pope Francis’ choice of the words “social humility” and “together with various sectors of society” jump out at me. Humble people don’t breed polarization; nor do people or organizations who cannot act multilaterally.

Several years ago, I volunteered with “Dan” on a regular basis. Besides sharing a desire to serve our community in our cathedral’s ESL program, we enjoyed talking about current events (as do a lot of people in Washington, D.C.!) and the Catholic Church. I learned that Dan had a past college internship working for one of the wealthiest political action committees (PAC) … and that this PAC funded many candidates that I probably would never vote for. Today, Dan is working for a national legislative leader of whom I share very few political preferences. Nevertheless, when my LinkedIn message announced his job to me, I congratulated him.

Are we willing to congratulate one on his or her good fortune … even if the accomplishment is totally contrary to our own political leanings? It might seem like a minor gesture toward dismantling political discord in the U.S., but I am glad that I e-mailed him, anyway.

DISCLAIMER: This blog represents Br. Herro’s own opinions and experiences. It does not represent an official position or opinion of St. Norbert Abbey or of any other Norbertine.

By Br. Steve Herro, O. Praem.

On January 8, 2018, Pope Francis, in his annual address to international diplomats working in the Vatican, said, in part:

The Lord Jesus himself, by healing the leper, restoring sight to the blind man, speaking with the publican, saving the life of the woman caught in adultery and demanding that the injured wayfarer be cared for, makes us understand that every human being, independent of his or her physical, spiritual or social condition, is worthy of respect and consideration. From a Christian perspective, there is a significant relation between the Gospel message and the recognition of human rights in the spirit of those who drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

I was particularly attracted by the link of Catholic social thought to Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which reads:

1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
2. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Sadly to say, how are these rights threatened by the proposed Wisconsin Works for Everyone reform plan? Amongst other things, the plan seeks to force Wisconsin FoodShare recipients to increase their number of weekly hours worked from 20 to 30 and requires a drug test for FoodShare recipients. People’s schedules can be complex; maybe some adults cannot or should not be “punched in” 30 hours a week. For example, I don’t see the plan accounting for the possibility of a parent’s time to transport a child to school, or a middle-aged son’s time to transport a loved one for weekly errands and appointments. Furthermore, the plan may hamper a child’s nutritional growth on account of a parent’s work schedule or drug use.

A human service provider recently asked me what message I would like to communicate to the public about homelessness (and poverty) in our local community. After a slight pause, I replied, “Don’t judge another without walking a mile in his or her moccasins.”

Just two days after hearing a state government official retort, “We also propose putting asset limits on public assistance so people with giant mansions and fancy cars don’t get welfare checks while hard-working taxpayers have to pay the bills. … You see, public assistance should be more like a trampoline and not a hammock,” might we commit ourselves to a relationship of encounter with a person or persons before passing judgement?

DISCLAIMER: This blog represents Br. Herro’s own opinions and experiences. It does not represent an official position or opinion of St. Norbert Abbey or of any other Norbertine.

Pictured: Photo by Jennifer Hardy/Catholic Relief Services (used with permission)

By Br. Steve Herro, O. Praem.

What do an investigator of the Brown County Sheriff’s Office and an international documentarian have in common?

Sgt. Matthew Wilson and Shraysi Tandon appeared in a discussion panel about the documentary Invisible Hands at the Green Bay Film Festival at St. Norbert College (SNC) earlier this year on March 1.

Human trafficking—whether child slavery or sex trafficking—is a popular issue for human rights advocates. As I viewed Tandon’s documentary and reflected on panelists’ comments (three other panelists were Sr. Sally Ann Brickner, O.S.F., a local social justice advocate; Kimberly Sandstrom, a licensed professional counsellor who volunteers at a Green Bay safe house for trafficking victims; and Dr. Elena A. Khapalova, assistant professor of business administration at SNC and an authority on supply chain management), I wondered why we often fail to recognize the sources of challenges facing our global and local communities. I was very touched by the common concern of a male sheriff investigator and females from academia, the counseling profession, Catholic religious life, and cinematography (when was the last time you saw a law enforcement official hanging out with such an assortment?).

As we consider stomping out the use of child slavery used to produce cheap textiles or electronic devices, or harvest chocolate or coffee beans, will we challenge ourselves when we shop for bargain-rate shirts and pants made in Bangladesh? Do we consider purchasing Fair Trade coffee (which has been certified to pay fair wages to those who grew the coffee) instead of the morning jolt from the popular coffee shop drive-through? As we imprison women who have been implicated in human sex trafficking, are we as quick to address the behavior of the buyers?

I left the viewing and discussion comparing the human trafficking issue to another current social debate: immigration and deportation. And this is why the question of supply chain and the basic economic principle of supply and demand is so important: our local and world communities would be further ahead if we examined behavior of consumers rather than just throwing the book at victims—be they child slaves, trafficked women, or immigrant workers.

DISCLAIMER: This blog represents Br. Herro’s own opinions and experiences. It does not represent an official position or opinion of St. Norbert Abbey or of any other Norbertine.

… Today we also have to say ‘thou shalt not’ to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills. … I beg the Lord to grant us more politicians who are genuinely disturbed by the state of society, the people, the lives of the poor.

—Pope Francis

By Br. Steve Herro, O. Praem.

I came across Pope Francis’ April 2018 Prayer Intention, “For a Just Economy,” three days before “Tax Day.” However, I doubt that the Vatican purposefully scheduled this prayer intention so close to our tax day (believe me, the Vatican has bigger fish to fry than memorizing our secular calendar, despite what some Americans think or wish for).

His words around the prayer intention are not unfamiliar. Andrea Tornielli and Giamoco Galeazzi rocked the Catholic press, the business community, and social ethicists with their 2015 work, This Economy Kills: Pope Francis on Capitalism and Social Justice. That same year, his earth-shattering encyclical Laudato Si’ contained strong words against an economy measured strictly in terms of economic growth, particularly at the expense of environmental justice and human rights (see especially #109). And his 2013 apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, considered his personal manifesto, spells out, for perhaps the first time, his understanding of an “economy of exclusion” (#53).

In 2015, I participated in NETWORK Catholic Social Justice Lobby’s #TaxPayerPride campaign around Tax Day; it demonstrated citizen gratitude for the benefits of our tax system. Take a moment to consider how our income taxes help provide for:

• public education for all
• nutritious food, warm shelter, and healing medicine for those who cannot meet their own needs, in our country and abroad
• safeguards to protect our communities from the effects of natural disaster

… the examples are nearly limitless.

I recall a conversation with a friend and co-worker a few years ago. I happened to mention that, as a vowed religious, any income that I earned from a Catholic organization was income tax exempt. He wondered aloud how he could get in on this gig in order not to help subsidize the U.S. war machine!

I am sure that no one approves of every single expenditure by our local, state, and federal governments. We must vote for candidates whose budgets priorities are in line with our own. As we embrace the principle of the common good, we accept that we do have a responsibility to contribute toward the benefit of people beyond self and our immediate families. And this is why an income tax system which benefits all of us is also vital to Pope Francis’ model of a just economy.

DISCLAIMER: This blog represents Br. Herro’s own opinions and experiences. It does not represent an official position or opinion of St. Norbert Abbey or of any other Norbertine.

Photo courtesy Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Washington, D.C. (used with permission)

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By Br. Steve Herro, O. Praem.

My brothers, sister, and I often remind ourselves of our mom’s pearls of wisdom that she often shared with us during her 62 years of motherhood. “From the mouths of babes” was one such “Clarism,” uttered whenever a young person scored high on the wisdom scale. Since Ash Wednesday, February 14, 2018, there have been lots of pearls of wisdom by youth.

Who hasn’t been tracking the press appearances, platform speeches, legislative visits, and very clever signs and posters by youth throughout the country since the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, tragedy claimed 17 lives? Within a week after the tragedy, my hunter and gun control supporter Generation Y nephew Luke had this to say about the public outcry and organizing by the next generation: “I am impressed with Generation Z.”

I missed my reservation to march with hundreds of thousands of others when my flight was cancelled by a nor’easter, but proudly Facebook-shared the March 24, 2018, article from America magazine, “Catholic groups join protest against gun violence at March for Our Lives.” My friend Kate Tromble of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Washington, D.C., and one of her daughters were quoted. Mary Muldoon, another marcher, reminded the author that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have supported an assault rifle ban since 1994.

Our Church is also on record in support of measures that control the sale and use of firearms, such as:

• universal background checks for all gun purchases.
• limitations on civilian access to high-capacity weapons and ammunition magazines.
• a federal law to criminalize gun trafficking.
• improved access to mental health care for those who may be prone to violence.
• regulations and limitations on the purchasing of handguns.
• and measures that make guns safer, such as locks, that prevent children and anyone other than the owner from using the gun without permission and supervision.

Let us hope, pray, and lobby our lawmakers that senseless and preventable gun violence against our youth in our schools, and non-youth in all settings, will come to an end as we all recognize that opposition to gun violence is a pro-life response that undergirds our prioritization of the life and dignity of the human person.

DISCLAIMER: This blog represents Br. Herro’s own opinions and experiences. It does not represent an official position or opinion of St. Norbert Abbey or of any other Norbertine.